Aorist Passive
Table of contents
The Passive Voice
The third principal part, as discussed in the units on the first and second aorists, allows us to build the aorist tense in the active and middle voices, both of which indicate that the subject performs the verb’s action. The third and final voice, the passive voice, indicates that the subject receives the action, rather than performs it. Note the differences in the following sentences in the relationship between the subject of the sentence and the verb’s action:
- The girl saw the tree. (active voice)
- The girl saw for herself. (middle voice)
- The girl was seen. (passive voice)
In the first two sentences, the girl is the one performing the action of seeing. In the last sentence, however, the action of seeing happened to the girl. This means that the verb is in the passive voice (and the fact that it occurred as an instantaneous action in the past means that it’s in the aorist tense).
Aorist Passive
We can apply the same principles that we used to conjugate with the 3rd principal part to conjugate verbs in the aorist passive, which uses the 6th principal part. Sixth principal parts will often, though not always, exhibit a θ towards the end of its stem. Note that there is no first aorist versus second aorist distinction when it comes to the aorist passive; all verbs share the same endings and conjugation pattern in the aorist passive, regardless of what its 3rd principal part and its aorist active and middle voices look like.
Let us use κελεύω and its sixth principal part ἐκελεύσθην as our example.
Here are the steps to conjugate a verb in the aorist passive:
- To get the aorist passive stem, take the -ην off the sixth principal part.
- Add the appropriate personal ending to indicate the appropriate person and number.
- Apply a recessive accent based on the rules laid out in the unit on accents.
Aorist Passive Endings
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | -ην | -ημεν |
| 2nd | -ης | -ητε |
| 3rd | -η | -ησαν |
Application
So, when we apply these rules to κελεύω:
- Our sixth principal part is ἐκελεύσθην, so when we take off the -ην, we are left with the stem: ἐκελευσθ-.
- Add the appropriate endings: -η for 3rd singular and -ησαν for 3rd plural.
- In the singular, the accent will occupy the penult, pulled forward from the antepenult by the long ultima (-η). In the plural, the accent will occupy the antepenult, since the ultima (the -αν of the -ησαν ending) is short.
| Voice | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Passive | ἐκελεύσθη | ἐκελεύσθησαν |
Translation
The tense is still aorist (i.e., a simple past tense), and the same subjects are in play depending on whether the verb is 3rd person singular (“he/she/it/they [singular]”) or plural (“they [plural]”). The passive voice, however, indicates a different pathway of activity: the verb is performed upon the subject, rather than the subject performing the action. So, note the following translations:
- ἐκελεύσθη: “he/she/it was ordered”
- ἐκελεύσθησαν: “they were ordered”
Envision the voice of a verb indicating the direction of an arrow between the subject and the verb.
- In the active or middle voice, the arrow points rightward from the subject towards the verb: the subject performs the verb and makes that action happen (ἐκέλευσεν: he ordered).
- In the passive voice, the arrow points leftward from the verb to the subject: the verb happens to the subject, and the subject receives the verb’s action (ἐκελεύσθη: he was ordered).
Summary of Forms: Aorist Active, Middle, and Passive (3rd person)
| Voice | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Active | ἐκέλευσε(ν) | ἐκέλευσαν |
| Middle | ἐκελεύσατο | ἐκελεύσαντο |
| Passive | ἐκελεύσθη | ἐκελεύσθησαν |
Deponent Verbs
Some dictionary entries lack active forms in some or all principal parts and will instead show middle forms, as evidenced by the principal parts’ endings. For example, take a look at the dictionary entry for the verb γίγνομαι, “to become, to happen”. According to what we’ve learned about principal parts so far, this is what we’ve come to expect:
- A first principal part should end in -ω or -μι.
- A third principal part should end in -α or -ον.
γίγνομαι breaks this rule in both principal parts: its first principal part exhibits the ending -ομαι, while its third principal part ἐγενόμην exhibits the ending -όμην. These are properly middle and passive endings; however, the verb’s definition sounds active: “to become”, “to happen.”
Such verbs that lack active forms in some or all principal parts are known as deponent verbs. While deponent verbs are conjugated in the middle or passive voice, the main thing to keep in mind is that deponent verbs are middle or passive in form, but active in meaning. So, while forms like ἐγένετο or ἐγενήθη are middle or passive respectively, one cannot “be becomed” or “be happened”, so an active translation like “he became” or “they became” is needed.
To conjugate deponents, the steps are the same: get the stem, add the appropriate ending, apply an accent. In these cases, the stem can be found by taking off the full middle ending off the principal part; when it comes to deponent 3rd principal parts, that means taking off the -άμην (for first aorists) or -όμην (for second aorists). So, in the case of γίγνομαι, that leaves us with the stem ἐγεν- from the third principal part and forms like ἐγένετο or ἐγένοντο.
Some verbs are deponent in only some principal parts. For example, take a look at the dictionary entry for ἔρχομαι, “to come, to go.” Its third principal part, ἦλθον, is a straightforward second aorist (active), but its first principal part, ἔρχομαι, with its -ομαι ending, is deponent (properly present tense and middle voice, as we’ll learn about in a later chapter).